Bad news for efforts to combate climate change emissions in the power sector. For the first time in five years, power plants across New England are producing more carbon dioxide emissions. This is a major setback to Massachusetts’ legally mandated efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The primary reason for the increase in emissions is the shuttering of the region's nuclear power plants, which has increased reliance on fossil fuel power stations.

The legislature has raised net metering caps but the DPU has yet to act. As a result, the net metering caps have now been hit across all of Massachusetts, except for Nantucket. This morning, MassACA reports that there are 241 MW of solar projects on hold across all the IOU territories. That means every territory except for Nantucket has projects on hold.

Governor Baker signed into law Chapter 75 of the Acts of 2016 on April 11, 2016. The act included an emergency preamble that was adopted through separate, unanimous votes of the members present and voting in both the House and Senate on April 7th. This was confirmed through Clerks' offices and the journals of both houses.

Sections 5 & 6 of the Act, which clearly specify that the net metering capacity limits should be raised, should have taken immediate effect on April 11, 2016.

Massachusetts House Leaders are currently drafting an omnibus energy bill to secure new supplies of electricity as much of the region’s fleet of aging nuclear, coal, and oil power plants are now set to retire. Any proposed energy legislation should achieve three key goals.

Utilities and other anti-solar forces are fond of the claim that net metering shifts costs between solar users and non-solar users. The gist of this claim is that solar users are freeriding and not paying their fair share of distribution system costs, relying on non-solar electricity users to pick up their tab. Is there any turth to this claim?

Baker's approval comes after months of contention over solar policy, including two competing bills from each house of the state legislature. The compromise bill was passed out of a joint legislative committee last week set up to reconcile differences between seperate proposals from the House and Senate.